Bonnie Frustaci Very Critical, Hospital Says; Parents Maintain Vigil

The condition of Bonnie Marie Frustaci, the sickest of the four surviving 17-day-old septuplets, remains “very critical,” a spokesman for Childrens Hospital of Orange County said Friday, adding that the babies’ parents are continually with them.

The septuplets’ second-born brother, James Martin, died in his parents’ arms Thursday morning, and Bonnie Marie, the fourth of seven, has been given only a slim chance for survival.

Spokesman Doug Wood said national statistics show that female premature babies fight off illness and survive more often than do tiny male infants.

Reason Unknown

“The real small females tend to be stronger than the male babies for some reason,” Wood said. It is impossible to say whether that is why Bonnie Marie is continuing to fight for her life, Wood said.

Dr. Carrie Worcester, the babies’ chief doctor, Thursday credited the parents, Samuel and Patti Frustaci of Riverside, with helping their children live. Every time Patti Frustaci touched James, the monitors attached to his body showed that his blood was absorbing oxygen better, she told reporters.

Patti Frustaci spent most of Thursday night at the hospital, Wood said.

Both parents “are there many hours. Patti wants to be with her children, especially Bonnie,” Wood said.

But he said it is not a “death watch.”

“She’s there to keep those children alive,” Wood said.

Patti Frustaci, a high school English teacher who had taken fertility drugs, gave birth by Caesarean section to four boys and three girls, 12 weeks premature, on May 21. The seventh, a girl later named Christina Elizabeth, was stillborn. The sixth, David Anthony and nicknamed “Peanut” because of his size, died 64 hours later.

Common Affliction

All six infants who survived birth suffer from hyaline membrane disease, an affliction common to premature babies which makes their lungs tend to collapse after each breath because they lack a lubricating substance to keep the air sacs open.

The surviving four remain on ventilators to help them breathe. Patricia Ann, Stephen Earl and Richard Charles--born first, third and fifth, respectively--are stable and showing small daily improvements, Wood said.

Bonnie Marie, however, suffers from severe lung disease and her condition is unstable. The Frustacis were alerted by doctors on Tuesday that James and Bonnie might not survive.